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The Krøderen Line () is a
heritage railway A heritage railway or heritage railroad (U.S. usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) ...
line connecting the Krøderen lake in Buskerud county,
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
, to the town of
Vikersund Vikersund is a town of 3,232 (in 2020) inhabitants in the municipality capital of Modum, in the county of Buskerud, Norway. Overview Vikersund is located 30 kilometers south of Hønefoss and 40 kilometers northwest of Drammen. The village is l ...
. The line was built as a
narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...
branch line A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Branch lines may serve one or more industries, or a city or town not located ...
of the Randsfjord Line by the
Norwegian State Railways Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *Norwegian language, including the two ...
(NSB) and opened in 1872. Passenger services were withdrawn in 1958, and freight traffic in 1985. , the Krøderen Line Foundation and the
Norwegian Railway Club The Norwegian Railway Club () is an association which is involved in the preservation of Norwegian museum railways. NMT has its operating base at Hønefoss Station in Ringerike, Norway. The society was founded on 22 May 1969, and is based at ...
jointly operate steam train services on the line from May to October. In addition to the termini at
Vikersund Vikersund is a town of 3,232 (in 2020) inhabitants in the municipality capital of Modum, in the county of Buskerud, Norway. Overview Vikersund is located 30 kilometers south of Hønefoss and 40 kilometers northwest of Drammen. The village is l ...
and Krøderen there are intermediate stations at Snarum,
Sysle Sysle is a village in the municipality of Modum, Buskerud county, Norway. Its population (2014) is 227. Sysle is principally a residential area situated about six km northwest of Vikersund. It is located on Norwegian National Road 280 (''Riksv ...
, and Kløftefoss.


History

In the beginning of the 19th century, horse carriages and ships were used for passenger transport in the Buskerud area. There were three government subsidized
coaching inn The coaching inn (also coaching house or staging inn) was a vital part of Europe's inland transport infrastructure until the development of the railway, providing a resting point ( layover) for people and horses. The inn served the needs of t ...
s in
Krødsherad Krødsherad (''Krødsherad kommune'') is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Buskerud Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Noresund. The municipality of Krødsherad was establ ...
, which were popular amongst travellers. In 1853, a committee was established, which aimed at improving the passenger transport between
Drammen Drammen () is a city and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the south-eastern and most populated part of Norway. Drammen municipality also includes smaller towns and villages such ...
and the rest of Buskerud. Following the opening of the Randsfjord Line in 1866, railway director Carl Abraham Pihl instructed a terrain investigation of the area between Vikersund and Krøderen. The plan was to build a line connecting
Drammen Drammen () is a city and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the south-eastern and most populated part of Norway. Drammen municipality also includes smaller towns and villages such ...
to the waterways of Hallingdalen. Pihl proposed three alternatives for a rail line to Krøderen; one which involved a long route from Drolsum, a second, long route from Åmot over
Sigdal Sigdal is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Buskerud Counties of Norway, County, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Prestfoss. The municipality of Sigdal was established on 1 January 1838 (see forman ...
and a third from Vikersund, at a length of . The latter was chosen, as it was the shortest and cheapest to construct. The construction of the line started in the spring of 1870. The terrain was difficult for railway construction; the right-of-way had sixteen sharp curves and the gradient from Vikersund was 1:45. The line was constructed with the narrow , which cost less than the
standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...
. The line cost 10,15 Norwegian speciedaler per kilometre, which made it the cheapest railway line yet constructed in Norway. King Oscar II arrived at Krøderen on 19 November 1872. He was met with a speech and a guided tour in the Krøderen Station, which was decorated for the occasion. The line was officially opened on 28 November, but without any celebration of the kind as of the week before. There were in the beginning halts at Hære, Jemterud, Hole, Lofthus, Gubberud and Uhla. Jemterud and Hole were replaced by
Sysle Sysle is a village in the municipality of Modum, Buskerud county, Norway. Its population (2014) is 227. Sysle is principally a residential area situated about six km northwest of Vikersund. It is located on Norwegian National Road 280 (''Riksv ...
in 1894; Lofthus had its name changed to Snarum in 1874. In 1891, a pulp mill was established at Ramfoss, which became connected to the line with a side track from the newly created Kløftefoss Station. There were in the first years two trains per day on the Krøderen Line, which corresponded with trains on the Randsfjord Line at Vikersund. In the first year of operation, the ridership from Vikersund to Lofthus (later Snarum) was at 11 persons per day, whilst it from Lofthus to Krøderen was 5 to 6 persons. The ridership increased in the following years, with a peak of 16.544 passengers in 1874. The line's main traffic and the principal source of its revenue was
timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...
. The timber origined from the forests around the line and was either floated to paper factories in Drammen or exported to England. At Gubberud and Slettemoen, side tracks from the line were laid down to transport timber from sawmills. When the
Bergen Line The Bergen Line, or the Bergen Railway ( or ), is a long scenic overlook, scenic standard gauge railway line between Bergen and Hønefoss, Norway. The name is often applied to the entire route from Bergen to Oslo, including the Randsfjord Line ...
was constructed in the late 1910s, building materials were freighted on the Krøderen Line and on steam ships over the Krøderen lake. Following the 1908 opening of the Bergen Line to Gulsvik, the traffic on the Krøderen Line reached its peak. Passengers were able to travel from
Kristiania Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022, an ...
to
Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...
by taking a train from Oslo West Station to Krøderen Station, a steam ship over the Krøderen lake to Gulsvik and a direct train from Gulsvik to Bergen. On 31 October 1909, the Bergen Line was extended from Gulsvik to
Hønefoss __NOTOC__ Hønefoss is a town and the administrative center of the municipality of Ringerike in Buskerud county, Norway. Hønefoss is an industrial center of inner Østlandet, containing several factories and other industry. As of 1 January 2022 ...
. Passengers travelling from Kristiania to Bergen could then travel directly, and needed not take a steam ship across Krøderen. The passenger traffic on the Krøderen Line was halved in the following year. On 5 August 1908, the Railway Committee of the Norwegian Parliament decided to upgrade the track gauge of the Krøderen Line to standard gauge. In August 1910, a train derailed approximately from Sysle Station because a creek had flooded and taken away all the ballast underneath the tracks. Three persons were killed in the accident, whilst six survived. On 9 May 1948, diesel powered trains were put in operation on the Krøderen Line. The diesel-powered trains were faster than the steam-powered; a steam-powered train travelled from Vikersund to Krøderen in 55 minutes, whilst the new diesel-powered trains only used 35 minutes. Owing to low passenger traffic, passenger trains on the Krøderen Line were decided to be replaced with buses in 1956. The last passenger train travelled in 1958, and the roads around the line were improved. The freight traffic on the line continued, although the last steam-powered freight train travelled on 1 November 1967, since the floating of timber in the waterways of Hallindalen was ceased in the same year. On 28 February 1985, the last diesel-powered freight train travelled on the Krøderen Line. Gathering inspiration from the
Urskog–Høland Line The Urskog–Høland Line (), also known as Tertitten, is a narrow-gauge railway between Sørumsand and Skulerud in Norway. History The original line was long and was built in three stages: Urskogbanen opened in 1896, running from Bingsfossen t ...
, the
Norwegian Railway Club The Norwegian Railway Club () is an association which is involved in the preservation of Norwegian museum railways. NMT has its operating base at Hønefoss Station in Ringerike, Norway. The society was founded on 22 May 1969, and is based at ...
lobbied to preserve the Krøderen Line as a heritage railway. In the autumn of 1973, the club sent a letter to the state railways' department in Drammen, in which it stated that the Krøderen Line was well-suited for tourist traffic with heritage trains. The department supported the proposal, and in September 1977 the Norwegian Railway Club invited the heritage committee of Buskerud to an inspection. Passenger services on the line were withdrawn in 1958, and in 1985 freight traffic too was discontinued. Two years later the
Norwegian Parliament The Storting ( ; ) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years based on party-list proportional represe ...
resolved to retain the line as a heritage railway and to preserve Krøderen Station as a museum at Krøderen. At
Vikersund Vikersund is a town of 3,232 (in 2020) inhabitants in the municipality capital of Modum, in the county of Buskerud, Norway. Overview Vikersund is located 30 kilometers south of Hønefoss and 40 kilometers northwest of Drammen. The village is l ...
there is a junction with the Randsfjordbane while from the station at Krøderen the
steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. The term ''steamboat'' is used to refer to small steam-powered vessels worki ...
s ''D/S Haakon Adelsten'' (built in 1861), ''Krøderen'', and ''Norefjeld'' formerly operated to Gulsvik, taking 2½ hours to complete their journey. The last steamboat sailed in 1925.


See also

* Narrow gauge railways in Norway


Notes


References

* Chapters: ** ** ** * * *


External links


Official museum web site

Krøderbanen site
at the
Norwegian Railway Club The Norwegian Railway Club () is an association which is involved in the preservation of Norwegian museum railways. NMT has its operating base at Hønefoss Station in Ringerike, Norway. The society was founded on 22 May 1969, and is based at ...

photos from Krøderbanen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kroder Line Railway lines in Norway Heritage railways in Norway Museums in Buskerud Railway lines in Buskerud Railway lines opened in 1872 1872 establishments in Norway 3 ft 6 in gauge railways in Norway Standard-gauge railways in Norway Modum Krødsherad